Chaos is a tom-cat who belongs to my dear friend, Aby. He is a magnificent ball of fur, down to the very last whisker and was the focus for this special Christmas gift. I lived with Aby some time ago, and luckily managed to find a photo of Chaos in my collection.

And what exactly is Golumpki, you may ask?

Well, if you ever go to Aby's house, you will surely be fortunate enough to feast upon her mother's Polish cuisine. Golumpki, or stuffed cabbage, is only my second favorite Polish delicacy next to Pierogi.

^___^

And this tiny pink rabbit represents Aby.

If you ever see one around in future illustrations, you can rest assured that mischief will surely follow.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Saturday, December 07, 2013

So, aside from working on the Engagement/Christmas present from this post, I've also been working on a super-secret-ultra-undercover gift a friend commissioned me for a loved one. Unfortunately, I can't show the final piece yet, but I can give you a sneak peek.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Fellow coworker and cat lover, Allison, lost her feline companion "Oreo" about 5 months ago. This was also around the time I began my new job at the office. I was nervous, didn't know anybody, and felt very much like a fish out of water. Allison bravely came in the day after Oreo was put to sleep (he was old, very sickly and diabetic) and took me under her wing.

I could tell she didn't want to be there; I understood that pain quite clearly. The day after Yume passed away, I had to drag my unwilling body to work, force a smile to my face and wish customers passing by to have a good day. I hated it. Each day was a struggle, and coming home was unbearable. It took me a week to finally empty Yume's bowl of food and water.

As a tribute to that special companion, I made her this painting of Oreo.

I used a mixture of Golden Acrylics, Acryla Gouache, Caran D' Ache colored pencils and an assortment of white inks for the fur. I usually work on the background first, but in this case it made sense to work out the details on Oreo from the very beginning. Later on, as I painstakingly added every blade of grass (there were three or four different shades of green used) I didn't have to worry about retouching Oreo's fur again.

Of course, I saved the best for last. I love painting eyes, especially on cats. There are just so many lovely shades you can find if you stare closely enough.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

This was a birthday gift for my good friend, Nicole. Like me, she adores her cats (and has a thing for mushrooms, antlers and mustaches).

This painting features her big cat, Bella, wearing antlers and sporting a very charismatic mustache--with the help of the shy, muted tortie, Olive. I wanted their surroundings to be very dreamlike, as if they'd both stepped into an Alice in Wonderland sort of landscape.

Needless to say, it was very hard to part with this piece. Therefore, I'll definitely be making more of these. Painting on wood is such a pleasure. If you Gesso it well, the paint slides perfectly over the surface. This is especially useful if you need to paint fine hairs.

I used a mixture of Acryla Gouache, Acrylics, Gouache and Caran D'Ache colored pencils, which I use to draw the design on the surface before applying any paint. As I begin to slap on some color, the colored pencil markings blend with a little bit of water (they're water-soluble), but I don't go out of my way to completely cover them up. I love the "sketchy" look, and with traditional art, it's always nice to see every medium and brushstroke used to create the final illustration.